The one about the tree

On Sunday I bought a pear tree. Call it a Mother's Day present to me. It was an impulse buy, but was a really good price and I do love Conference pears. They're also the only pear that is self fertile so no need to buy more than one.

Getting it to the allotment I hadnt really thought through!! I'd walked with it back from the shop, but almost always cycle to the plot. Fortunately it did fit in the trailer but was a little precarious along with the other bits and pieces I had to take down.

The plot looked absolutely lovely when I got there bathed in full sunshine. So a hole was dug for the tree. About 2 spade depths down hit the clay pan and stopped. Filled the bottom of the hole with half a bucket of compost from the worm bin and then watered and let it soak in. The tree I'd been soaking while the digging etc had been going on.

I bashed one of the stakes usually used for the tomatoes right in.

And then planted the tree, not that it really shows up in the photo, firmed it in, attached it to the stack with a couple of cable ties (not tightly) and watered well again. Finally spread a layer of mulch (not pictured) over the top. So a waiting game now to see what, if anything, my pear tree will do.

Also divided the massive comfrey plant and made a sort of border with it. Hopefully they'll take. I've not done much in the way of propagating plants by division before, so hopefully all has gone well. Time will let me know I guess, but comfrey seems to be a fairly tough plant from what I've read. We'll see.

So around the plot, this is what's happening...

 The rhubarb is bursting into life as are the raspberries

 The strawberry plants that were transplanted into new bed at the end of last year are starting to show signs of life.

On this patch of purple deadnettle I saw 4 different species of bumblebee. I dont know which species they were yet, need to look it up, but 4 different is awesome and the 'weeds' can stay on that part of the plot for now. Also saw at least 2 different variety of butterfly, but not close enough to ident properly. Possibly gatekeeper and maybe painted lady, but not entirely sure. Also in abundance were 2 and 7-spot ladybirds. Saw well over 100 of the 7 spot just on my plot. Fabulous amounts of them. Hopefully they will chow down on all the aphids and keep the crops pest free.

This part went from this...

 to this in a relatively short space of time

Very productive day.

In the greenhouse, the parsnips that were transplanted a few weeks ago are looking very healthy seedlings now

 And the all year round cauliflower are also doing really well out in the greenhouse.

The equinox has now been and gone and we're really on the way to summer :D